


A Causa Secreta

by DearLittleRobin



Series: Brazilian Literature [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Brazilian Literature - Freeform, M/M, Machado de Assis (A brazilian writer), This is his story but with Klance because why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 13:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10102232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DearLittleRobin/pseuds/DearLittleRobin
Summary: Zarkon was the devil.And the devil was married to an angel, an angel with sun kissed skin, bright blue eyes, brown hair and the prettiest smile Keith had ever seen.Lance.





	

It wasn't hard for Keith to figure out that Zarkon was not a good person.

It was in the way Zarkon seemed to only enjoy the violent parts of the play they saw, in the way the older man loved to hit stray dogs with his walking stick and in the way pleasure appeared on those dark eyes at the sight of someone's pain.

Zarkon was the devil.

And the devil was married to an angel, an angel with sun kissed skin, bright blue eyes, brown hair and the prettiest smile Keith had ever seen.

_Lance._

Zarkon had told Keith about the marriage some months after Keith had officially become a Doctor. It was a short conversation, followed by an invitation for dinner at Zarkon house. Keith had tried to refuse, but Zarkon had insisted, so Keith went anyway. The dinner was good, very well served. A variety of food painted the dull wooden table, but what really caught Keith's gaze was the silent figure eating calmly, who every now and then turned to look at his husband, fear in his eyes.

Zarkon liked Keith, so the invitations didn't stop. Keith saw himself become a regular in that house, he had dinner with the strange couple almost every day and in each one of those days he saw the way Lance seemed lonely, lonely and beautiful.  
Keith realized he had fallen for Lance some time after, but he also knew there was nothing to be done about it even if he really wanted to. Keith had to lock those feelings inside himself. Lance seemed to understand both things, Keith's affection and silence, but the quiet boy didn't say anything.

It was in the begging of October that Zarkon started to study anatomy and to occupy himself with the dirty job of cutting stray cats and dogs open. The cries of the animals annoyed the patients at the hospital, so Zarkon had to move his office to his house, where Lance could hear everything.

One day, when he started to doubt his own sanity, Lance came to the doctor, desperately asking Keith to talk to his husband and make those experiments stop.

"But you..." Keith tried to argue, tried to question Lance why he couldn't ask for it himself.

Lance only smiled at him.

"He'll think I'm just a child, won't listen to what I say. I would like you to say to him, as a doctor, that those experiments are not good for me. He'll listen to you, I'm sure"

Keith managed to make Zarkon stop. (Maybe the old man just changed his office again, but that no one will ever know.) Lance was quick to thank the doctor, not only for himse but also for the animals. He coughed now and then. Keith asked him if he had come down with something, but Lance assured him he was fine.

"Let me just check"

"I already said that I'm fine"

With that, Lance left and Keith stayed. The doctor then decided he would keep an eye on  the other boy, afraid for his health.  
Two days after that, Keith went to have dinner with Zarkon and Lance again. When he arrived, he was told that Zarkon was in his room. Keith walked to the place, hand ready to knock, when the door it opened, revealing a very distressed Lance.

"What happened?" Keith asked and he was unable to stop the worry that came with phrase.

"The rat" Lance whispered and walked away, looking like he was going to puke.

Keith remembered that some time before, Zarkon had complained about a rat eating some important paper. Shoulders tense and holding his breath, Keith entered the room.

There Zarkon was, sitting near a lit candle, holding on his left hand a small rope that attached itself into the rat's tail. On his right hand, he had a pair of scissors. Zarkon's game was simple: he would cut one of the rat's paws then slowly lower it into the fire, not enough to kill the poor animal, but enough to make it suffer.

There was pleasure on Zarkon's eyes, a smile spread across his face. He was enjoying every second pained sound the rat made, every cry. There wasn't any rage or anger behind Zarkon's actions, only a sick pleasure.

Keith wanted to vomit.

When Zarkon was finally done he dropped the lifeless body on a plate, got up and turned to Keith. The old man tried to put on a facade, tried to make it seem like he had killed the rat out of rage because the paper  was too important to be lost, but Keith didn't fall for it. He already knew Zarkon's true nature and he wasn't going to forget it. When Lance returned, Zarkon laughed at him.

"You are so weak" He said and then turned to Keith. "Can you believe that he almost fainted?"

Lance defended himself, said he just wasn't found of blood and gore. Then, with shaky hands and a troubled expression, he sat near the window with his wool and sewing needles.

The dinner wasn't happy. Lance coughed, coughed too much for it to be a simple cold and Keith saw himself grow more and more worried. In the end, Lance finally let himself be examined.

_Tuberculosis._

A _death_ sentence.

Zarkon received the news like they were a punch to his face, the sick old man loved Lance in his on way and didn't want to lose him. Zarkon tried every treatment that was available, every doctor that he could find but it didn't matter. Keith tried everything he could think of but he too knew it was for nothing.

Lance was now thin, pale, sick (Keith would say he was already dead if it wasn't for the way Lance's chest would weakly raise and fall ).

It didn't take long for life to vanish from those beautiful blue eyes.

Keith and Zarkon were the only people there when it happened, when Lance exhaled one last time.

It hurt.

"You should rest" Keith said to Zarkon "I'll be going shortly"

Zarkon left. He slept for some minutes, woke up, slept some more, until he finally got up again. Slowly and silently, he walked to where Keith was with Lance and opened the door.

Keith was standing near Lance's lifeless body, one hand carefully caressing Lance’s face as the other held Lance's hand. Then, Keith leaned and kissed Lance on the forehead.

Keith was usually a silent crier. He didn't sob or made much noise, he just let the tears fall. Still, Keith couldn't stop the sound that escaped his mouth.

The sound of a man who had lost the love of his life.

Zarkon watched the scene with a smile on his face. The pain in Keith's eyes was just...

_Delicious._


End file.
